1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to repair materials and more particularly to a surface repair patch and a method of using the surface repair patch together with a curable repair compound to close an opening around a fixture which is adjacent to or protrudes from a surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has long been a need in the art for inexpensive wall repair systems, which are relatively uncomplicated and which may be utilized by the non-professional, such as the homeowner. Various wall or surface repair systems that utilize a repair patch have been proposed as an option for repairing damaged portions of surfaces, such as holes in drywall material. These repair patches are designed so as to reinforce and position the curable repair materials, such as plaster or polymeric materials, that are applied to the surface being repaired.
While these repair patches have produced satisfactory results, certain repairs to openings in drywall or plaster around fixtures such as electric boxes, light fixtures, drain pipes and gas pipes have been rendered difficult because of the inability to form a correctly fitting matching surface for surrounding the fixture. For instance, certain repair patches include a rigid plate which is formed from a metallic material. This type of repair patch typically cannot be cut freely to include an opening in the patch as the rigid plate may be formed from metal strip of a relatively thick gauge.
Repair patches consisting of a deformable mesh-like metallic sheet are available as alternatives to repair patches including a rigid metallic plate. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,099 discloses a contourable surface repair compound matrix which may be used to provide a matching surface for holding, positioning and reinforcing the repair materials applied to a surface being repaired. Depending on the thickness of metal used in the mesh-like metallic sheet, the mesh-like metallic sheet may be cut by scissors or other cutting means, and therefore, it may be possible to prepare a mesh-like metallic sheet with an opening for fitting around a fixture which is adjacent to or protrudes from a wall surface.
However, known repair patches do have certain drawbacks when used for repairing openings in drywall or plaster around fixtures. For example, each time that it is necessary to repair an opening around a fixture, a repair patch having an opening must be prepared using a time consuming, labor intensive process. Typically, this involves using a template to trace the outline of the fixture on the repair patch and then using a scissors to cut out the material inside the outline drawn on the patch. Furthermore, certain repair patches are formed from a heavier gauge material that can only be cut with power tools. This further complicates the preparation of a repair patch having an opening, especially for a non-professional who may not have access to power tools.
Therefore, there is a need for a surface repair patch that can be used to repair a hole in a wall, and can also be easily modified to include an opening that will fit around a fixture that is adjacent to or protrudes from a wall surface.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive and uncomplicated surface repair patch for applying on the surface of a wall that has an opening around a fixture such as an electric box, a light fixture, a switch plate, a pipe or the like.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a surface repair patch with a removable section that can be removed from the surface repair patch without the need for additional tools.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a surface repair assembly which includes a non-metallic surface repair patch that may be plastically deformed in any direction so that the patch may be shaped to correspond to the contour of the surface.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a surface repair assembly which will provide a smooth transition between the wall surface and that of the wall repair compound applied over the surface repair patch to complete the repair.
The present invention makes a significant contribution to the surface repair art by providing an improved surface repair patch for closing an opening around a fixture that is adjacent to or protrudes from a surface. A surface repair patch having the features of the present invention includes a sheet which has a first side and a second side. The sheet includes openings which extend from the first side of the sheet to the second side of the sheet.
The sheet is preferably formed from a polymeric material such as a polyolefin, a polyvinyl resin, a blend of cellulosic fibers, and copolymers and mixtures thereof. In one version of the invention, the openings are arranged about the sheet so that a network of strips of polymeric material is formed, the strips being joined by an array of junctions. Each of the strips is capable of being plastically deformed in any direction so that the sheet may be shaped to correspond to the contour of the surface being repaired. The sheet supports, positions, and reinforces the curable repair compound on the surface before the repair compound is cured. In another version of the invention, the second side of the repair patch includes an adhesive for affixing the patch to the surface to be repaired.
The sheet of the surface repair patch includes a removable first section which has a border defined by a first line of holes. The first line of holes is configured such that the removable first section may be removed from the sheet by applying pressure to the removable first section. When pressure is applied to the removable first section, strips of material between the holes fracture and the removable first section can be removed from the sheet. The border of the removable first section can be configured in an infinite number of shapes so that the opening produced in the sheet may be of any shape.
In another version of the invention, the sheet of the repair patch further includes a removable second section having a border defined by a second line of holes. The second line of holes facilitate removal of the removable second section from the sheet in the same manner that the first line of holes facilitates removal of the removable first section. The second line of holes may be arranged on the sheet in an infinite number of patterns but certain highly advantageous arrangements of the second line of holes are preferred. In a first preferred arrangement of the second line of holes, the second line of holes is arranged between the periphery of the sheet and the border of the removable first section. In this arrangement, the removable second section surrounds the removable first section. In a second preferred arrangement of the second line of holes, the second line of holes extends from a first location on the first line of holes to a second location on the first line of holes. In this arrangement, the removable second section will surround a portion of the removable first section.
The use of a removable first section and a removable second section in the sheet of the surface repair patch allows the user to prepare surface repair patches having different sized openings from a single surface repair patch. For example, in the arrangement of the sheet wherein the removable second section surrounds the removable first section, the user could prepare surface repair patches having two different openings, i.e., a patch having a smaller opening could be prepared by removing the removable first section, and a patch having a larger opening could be prepared by removing both the removable first section and the removable second section.
In still another version of the invention, the sheet of the repair patch further includes a third line of holes which extends from the border of the removable first section to the periphery of the sheet. The third line of holes facilitates separation of a first portion of the sheet, which is on a first side of the third line of holes, from a second portion of the sheet, which is on a second side of the third line of holes. A user may grasp the sheet on the first side of the third line of holes and on the second side of the third line of holes and pull the first portion of the sheet and the second portion of the sheet in opposite directions so as to fracture strips of material between the holes and thereby separate the first portion from the second portion of the sheet. The separation between the first portion and the second portion of the repair patch allows the repair patch to be slid transversely over a fixture such as a pipe when anchoring the repair patch on a surface.
The present invention is also directed to a method of using a surface repair patch together with a curable repair compound to close an opening around a fixture which is adjacent to or protrudes from a surface. The method involves selecting a surface repair patch which comprises a sheet having a first side, a second side, a plurality of openings extending from the first side to the second side of the sheet, and a removable section. The repair patch should be of sufficient area to surround the opening in the surface. After selecting a suitable repair patch, the repair patch may optionally be shaped to correspond to the contour of the surface being repaired. The surface repair patch is then grasped and pressure is applied to the removable section of the sheet in order to remove the removable section of the sheet. This creates an alignment edge of the sheet where the border of the removable section was previously located. The surface repair patch is then anchored to the surface so that the alignment edge of the sheet is adjacent to the outer surface of the fixture. A curable repair compound is then spread over the repair patch so as to cover the repair patch and substantially fill up the openings in the patch. Examples of curable repair compounds useable with the surface repair patch include plaster of paris, gypsum material, spackling compound, joint compound, and fiberglass resin compound. The repair compound is then contoured to the shape of the surface and allowed to cure.